In 2025, the United States is recognizing the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War. To honor local Vietnam veterans, the city of Scottsdale is hosting a free lunchtime event at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 29 — National Vietnam Veterans Day — at the Scottsdale Civic Center East Bowl.
Hosted by the Scottsdale Veterans Advisory Commission, the event is a public show appreciation to those who served during the Vietnam era. This community gathering will feature complimentary lunch for registered guests, and special guest speaker, Vietnam veteran Frank Lambert.
- The event is free to the public, but registration is required.
RSVP via the event listing at Calendar.OldTownScottsdaleAZ.com.
Lambert, a Scottsdale resident, is a West Point graduate who went on to serve with the 1st Air Cavalry Division in Vietnam.
Vietnam veterans, family members, and the community are encouraged to attend the event to hear his incredible story. Serving as a company commander in the Tet Offensive of 1968, he earned a Silver Star and Purple Heart, and a fellow 1st Air Cavalry officer earned the Medal of Honor for coming to the aid of Frank and his troops who had. been caught in an ambush.
In March 2022, Frank was honored with the Storyteller Award from Imprints of Honor (formerly known as the Veterans Heritage Project), which recognizes a veteran’s willingness to share their story with others – something Lambert has done many times over the past decade. Learn more about his story in this episode of Veterans AZ, Scottsdale’s veterans video series and podcast.
The event will also feature a Vietnam-era OH-6 helicopter display, courtesy the Army Aviation Heritage Foundation (Southwest Chapter). Commemorative lapel pins for Vietnam veterans will be available, courtesy the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration, along with materials for attendees to express their support for veterans.
Since 2017, March 29 has been recognized as National Vietnam War Veterans Day, commemorating the hardships suffered and sacrifices made by nine million Americans during the Vietnam War. The day honors those who served and the families who supported them before and after the war.
In 2024, the city of Scottsdale earned special recognition from the U.S. Department of Defense as a "Top Performer" among organizations participating in the U.S. Vietnam War Commemoration.
Additional free event: The Vietnam Vets Top 20
Every veteran has his/her distinct songs and personal memories, and they became the basis for the award-winning book We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War by Doug Bradley and Craig Werner. But thanks to the "Top 20/Top 40" radio format of the 1950s and ‘60s, there are several tunes that resonated more widely among those vets interviewed.
Join Vietnam veteran Doug Bradley and find out if your song is one of the Vietnam Vets Top 20 at this free event hosted by the Arizona Musicfest in partnership with the city of Scottsdale's Vietnam War 50th Commemorative effort.
- 2 p.m. Friday, March 21, at Arizona Musicfest, 7950 E Thompson Peak Parkway, Scottsdale
Space is limited for this free event – please register.
